


Collateral

by Bagelwank



Category: Fallout 4
Genre: Drabble, I romanced piper but this aint rlly much of a romance, basically i made up roleplay because fallout 4 has none
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-17
Updated: 2017-07-17
Packaged: 2018-12-03 08:02:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11528004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bagelwank/pseuds/Bagelwank
Summary: Gil Harris ruminates on a bad choice





	Collateral

**Author's Note:**

> SO some context because I didn't explain a couple things. I use CROSS Cybernetics because it lets you have a synth hand and an exosuit and via that I headcanon that my character lost a lot of her muscle mass and her right arm just below the elbow due to the cryogenics (being unfrozen after 200 years scott-free is lame) so using some know-how and elbow grease she salvaged up some parts to build herself a new hand and an exo-suit to allow her to walk more than a few steps at a time while she regained her muscle mass. As time went on she kept adding to the suit and now, even though she doesn't need it, she still uses it for the protection and extra strength it affords her. The optic is another mod called West-tek Tactical Optics, which I use with Darker Nights to make the game more atmospheric. 
> 
> This story came about after I cleared out an apartment and noticed the guy in it was dressed as a pastor, so I wrote this while I had my character sitting on the couch and used the scenery for inspo. 
> 
> Here's a link to some pics of Gil. http://imgur.com/a/A83It

In the shell of what used to be an apartment, previously occupied by a man and his vicious guard dogs, Gil Harris sits on an old couch, the armour she had worn on her torso resting beside her as she let her skin breathe for the first time in days. The rain wetting her skin offered some reprieve from the filth she had accumulated. In another life she might have remarked that the damaged apartment at least offered a better view of the city than it would have before, but today she can only bring herself to stare at the carpet contemplating whether it would be worth it to fix the damage caused to her prosthetic hand, whether or not it would distract her enough from her thoughts.

She flitted idly between this and flicking through the vision modes of her optic, night vision, thermal, biometric, off, night vision, thermal, biometric, off, night vision...

"Cap for your thoughts?"

Gil jumped at the question, she had almost forgotten Piper was with her on this trip, but nonetheless there she was sitting reclining in the seat adjacenct to hers. She took the optic off her head entirely, setting it aside with the rest of her armour and leaned forward, her remaining hand supporting her head.

"Every inch of this place is a fight." She sighed, "I'm not sure I like how used to that I'm becoming."

Piper sat up in her seat and turned herself towards Gil.

"Whaddaya mean by that, Blue?"

In Downtown Boston, silence had become a rare phenomenon. At that moment it was abundant, and crushing.

"The man in this apartment, his dogs..." She chances a look toward his now still body, deep red stains streak the blue carpet, his gun lied next to him just out of his grasp. He is adorned in pastor's vestments, marred by 3 gunshot wounds to the chest.

"He had faith. Then we busted in, thinking he was just some raider and we just... _murdered_ him. Like he didn't matter! Why do I get to live while he's on the floor leaving a fucking puddle?!"

It snuck up on her. The guilt forced it's way out and brought tears to her eyes. Piper got up and sat down next to Gil, pulling her in close and letting her head rest against he chest as she shuddered and sobbed. Gil managed to choke out one sentence.

"I'm so ready to kill to survive that I don't even stop to ask when I should anymore, I can't do this anymore!" After a moment had passed, Piper spoke up.

"When you're out here fighting to stay alive, everything starts to look like a target. Everyone has collateral on their conscience out here, some more than others...it doesn't make it any better, someone who might not have deserved it is still dead but you can pick yourself up and do better for them. That's all you can do about this now."

Gil pulled away slightly to face Piper properly.

"And if I do it again?"

"You won't. I know you won't. I still trust you, Blue." Piper gently wrapped a hand around the back of Gil's neck and plants a kiss on her forehead, pulling her into an embrace.

The silence was still strangely abundant, but it was less suffocating than before. Gil had direction, and the beginnings of a better understanding of surviving the Commonwealth. She pulled away from Piper, stood up and dusted herself off.

"We...we should keep moving, but...I feel like we should leave him with a bit more dignity than...this." She gestures to the Pastor, crumpled unpleasantly on the floor.

"You're right." Piper replies simply, rising from the couch herself.

The sun set on a man left bleeding and scrambling for his weapon, but it rose the next day to find him reclined on his couch, his dogs by his side.


End file.
